This invention relates to apparatus for elevating fish and similar articles without damage to increased elevations in a transfer conduit, at improved efficiency and with reduced input power requirements. Major advantages in transferring fish and the like from a net, fish hold or other storage facility to elevated discharge locations stemmed from the invention of Stewart Roach, Ser. No. 149,139, filed May 12, 1980 (currently on appeal to the Board of Appeals). The present invention is unique in the fulfillment of the further objectives as stated above. To illustrate numerically, undamaged transfer of fish and similar articles for elevated discharge at dockside and other locations can now be achieved at considerably reduced input drive power to the system and to heights of from twice to three times those previously considered feasible without flesh damage.
The invention developed out of the prior concepts mentioned above in which certain unexpected advantages were discovered in the added combination of an air injection pump working in combination with a water injection pump and with a flow diffuser. It was found under the operating relationships described in our earlier pending application that fish and similar articles could be elevated substantially damage free to substantial heights above sea level in the unloading of boat nets, boat fish holds and other containers, much higher than with other continuous flow systems. Even shrimp and other delicate crustacea were handled effectively in this manner. Nevertheless, limitations to those pumping heights existed which curtailed usefulness for a number of important applications.
The invention here presented not only overcomes most, if not all, of those limitations, but it also adds continuously progressive drive power control over pumping height and in pumping efficiency, if that be necessary, yet in each instance without damage to the product.